Alabama

View from the other side: Kent State

David Carducci is in his 10th year as the Kent State beat writer for the Record-Courier. The Golden Flashes enjoyed their last winning football season in 2001, one year before Carducci took over the beat. He previously spent five years covering the Cleveland Browns for Browns News-Illustrated, Bernie Kosar's Insider and the Record-Courier.

1. Kent State has not won a MAC championship or gone to a bowl since 1972, when Nick Saban was a player there. Is there reason to believe new coach Darrell Hazell can succeed where so many other coaches have failed?

With stars like James Harrison, Joshua Cribbs and Julian Edelman, KSU's talent level - at least on the first string - has been good enough to stay competitive in the last decade. The Golden Flashes often found themselves in the hunt for a MAC title at mid-season only to suffer late-season collapses while continually folding in the second halves of big games. One of Hazell's strengths appears to be his attention to the smallest details. If his diligence rubs off on his players, the Flashes may start to find ways to win the close, must-win games they traditionally lose.

2. Alabama players have said they have been looking at Kent State and Ohio State film to prepare for this game. Should they have been watching Purdue film?

Purdue may have been a good starting-off point. KSU's offense will probably be a bit more multiple than it was under former coach Doug Martin, who was dedicated to the spread and passed the ball to set up the run. There will still be a spread element under offensive coordinator Brian Rock, who was schooled in Joe Tiller's system at Purdue. But the Flashes will probably be less pass-happy than the Boilermakers. Hazell comes from Ohio State, and he may have a hard time resisting the urge to try to develop a power running game.

3. The Golden Flashes are a heavy underdog. In what area(s) can they hold their own against the second-ranked Crimson Tide?

This 2011 defensive line is deeper and more talented than it has been on any KSU team in recent memory. Whether or not that unit has the size to hold its own against a team like Alabama is questionable at best. The Flashes also have an impressive stable of wide receivers. But can KSU's offensive line protect quarterback Spencer Keith enough for him to get the ball to those playmakers? If so, the Flashes may find some ways to put some pressure on the Tide's secondary.

4. Kent State has been a pretty good assembly line for NFL players. Who are the pro prospects on this year's team?

Punter Matt Rinehart should get a chance in the NFL. Pro scouts have also shown an interest in 334-pound defensive lineman Ishmaa'ily Kitchen. The most gifted athlete on the KSU's roster may be 6-foot-3 wide receiver Matt Hurdle. He is a converted quarterback who is getting his first real opportunity to see the field as a junior this season. If the light ever goes on for Hurdle, he will be an intriguing prospect.

5. Has there been much talk there this month about Saban's Kent State roots?

Saban is a regular topic of conversation among long-suffering KSU fans who are still furious he wasn't hired as the Flashes' head coach in 1988. As legend has it, a certain former KSU athletic director was worried about hiring the popular alum simply because Saban had never been a head coach. With games he considered "must wins" against regional rivals Youngstown State and Akron, that athletic director instead chose to bring in veteran coach Dick Crum. The three-year Crum retirement tour opened with those coveted wins over Youngstown State and Akron. Unfortunately, the Flashes followed with five wins in their next 31 games, including a winless 1989 season. In 1991, another KSU alum, Gary Pinkel, was passed over in favor of Notre Dame assistant Pete Cordelli, who was 3-30 over the next three years. While KSU fans are fond of Saban, seeing him on the schedule only conjures thoughts of what might have been.